The discussion and debate about the value of “remixes” in music is a relevant one amount my friends and I. Lessig brought up many good points and I tend to agree with his belief that remixes can and sometimes are better than the original. One of the most humorous points is when he states, “the discussion will be over in ten or twenty years. As the boomers die out and they get over themselves by dying, the generation that follows…just doesn’t care about this discussion” (97). While I find this statement to be relatively funny (and sadly somewhat true) a couple questions came to mind that refute this generalization. The rise of hipster culture in the United States and the rest of the world is bringing back the old and the “original” so to speak. Do you think that such a debate will die out with an older generation, or is it more cyclical and the debate will be brought back up but this time with the younger ones arguing in favor of the classics? Is the use of remixes just a generation acting out against the older, with the reverse to follow as this generation matures?
I found that statement in your comment from the reading to be kind of rude. I thought it was so insulting to the that generation to flat out and say once they die out and get over themselves by dying then it’ll all be over. I just can’t believe someone would say that. I think remixes are good and something different. They are able to take something original and make it into something completely different that’s more modern and have a new generation watch/listen to. This reminds me of the rapper G-Eazy. I feel like he takes a lot of old songs and makes it into something more of his style and more of this generation’s music liking. I don’t think the debate about remixes will die out, I think it might lessen but I don’t think it will completely go away. I love how we are able to create something completely different with an original and make it into something amazing with a new twist.
Thanks for bringing forth an interesting discussion, Christian. I liked your connection to the hipster culture because I am living in Portland this summer, so I see a lot of these people! I think it’s satisfying to figure that different styles will “remix” themselves in the future. I think it has been determined that fads are cyclical. I think the article you quoted by Lessig focused on segregating people into different groups. Do you think that’s true? I think that our generation is less focused on joining one political party etc., and instead focusing on arriving at a consensus. It was nice that you avoided speaking about the RO and RW cultures because that discussion took over the great majority of the article. I would imagine that your last idea that the current generations are acting out against the older ones is a theme that will continue onwards into the future. It’s a way for young people to feel connected to older generations, but twisting their ways to make things more “cool”.
☺ Nicole
To answer your question, I do not believe this debate will ever end. We have all heard the “well back in my day” speech from somebody older then us. This remixing debate is very similar. The present will always be compared to the past and most will claim theirs to be the better more unique version. Hippsters totally have that retro theme going on but with their own twist. I liked that comparison you made. They are a prime example of remixers.